TeeTime - Plucky Texas Terrier Gets Free Golf for Life

Photo: John Dewey

Grapevine is a Texas town with a charming historical district, eclectic art galleries and... not surprisingly... numerous wineries.  It's also home to Grapevine Golf Course.

A recently renovated Byron Nelson and Joe Finger design, Grapevine is one of the most popular courses in an area known for great golf.

Well, a number of years ago a small, scrappy Jack Russel terrier began frequenting the fairways of Grapevine Golf Course.  Players started calling her "TeeTime", and she quickly became fixture; helping keep the course clean by chasing away pesky geese... and accepting offerings of food from golfers and staff in return.  It was a perfect arrangement until a run-in with a coyote, a storm drain and an overzealous Animal Control Authority nearly killed the courageous canine.

Grapevine golfer John Dewey tells her harrowing story at JackRusselLover.com and it's quite an adventure.  Fortunately the ending is upbeat.  So much so that "TeeTime" is now "back on course" and ... has even earned her own Facebook page.

Meet MiniKawa: Ryo Ishikawa's Cute New Club Cover

Photo: Yoshihiro Iwamoto

If you happen to be in Nagoya Japan this week for the Coca Cola Tokai Classic, you may notice a cute little guy in blue tagging along behind superstar golfer Ryo Ishikawa.

Well that would be MiniKawa, latest addition to the Bashful Prince's club cover collection.   With spiky black hair, a visor and cool looking Swans he's clearly another Ryo wannabe... and on the fairways and greens of Miyoshi Country Club he'll protecting his idol's equipment... so to speak.

However, covering Ryo's club is just a part-time gig for the diminuative MiniKawa.  He's actually a full-time mascot for Aquarius, an ultra-popular sports drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company and promoted by Japan's top athletes, including the amazing Japanese women's soccer team and the "Three Kings": star swimmer Kosuke Kitajima, stellar soccer midfielder Keisuke Honda and of course, the awesome Ishikawa, Ryo.

Sophie Sandolo Posts Best Golf Job Ever on Facebook

"Looking for a Caddy for the Ladies French Open at Paris International from Thursday thru Sunday... Anyone available? Thanks :)"

When Sophie Sandolo... the gorgeous global golf star known for both her achievements on the Ladies European Tour (including 18 top 10 finishes) and her elegantly erotic calendars... was in suddenly in need of a caddy in Paris for the upcoming Lacoste Ladies French Open, she took a modern, practical approach and updated her facebook status with the above.

Needless to say, the response was enthusiastic and voluminous.  Within the space an hour the job had been filled... and one lucky caddy will be spending a long autumnal weekend on a splendid Jack Nicklaus course just outside of Paris... with one of the sexiest women in golf.

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On The Road to More Pars - A Golf Growing Crusade

If Christina Ricci has her way, The Road to More Pars will soon become increasingly well traveled.  You see, Christina is passionate about golf... and ultra-committed to seeing the game grow.  ~ To that end, the intrepid marketing executive from Boston, Massachusetts has developed a virtual media empire focused on bringing more players to the game... and making the game more enjoyable, satisfying and fun for all golfers.

Not that long ago Christina was a thirty handicap with a goal: to drop to a single digit handicap within five years. And she did just that, in fact she was down to a five within those five years. She's now a 3.2, and aiming for scratch.  At the same time, the long-legged brunette has committed herself to helping others to accomplish their golf goals.

Christina's Golf Survival Guides are unique among instructional golf books in that they're designed to be used on or off the course.  Spiral bound, sturdy and portable, the format is highly visual and easy to follow; presenting tips, drills, instruction and information with detailed illustrations and high quality photography.  A companion set of DVDs as well as an on-demand golf video and fitness library are also available on Christina's site.  In addition at the iTunes App Store you can find the survival guide for iPhone and iPad.  Then there's Miss Par, Christina's blog and a great place to go for news on the the latest golf fashion, golf gear and golf gossip.  But lets get back on the proverbial road, shall we?

The Awesome "Getting to Know Alexis Thompson" Infographic

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Although she's already quite familiar to fans of women's golf, Alexis Thompson hasn't yet become a household name, despite the fact that she's made golf history... a couple of times already.

At age 16, the newly crowned Navistar LPGA Classic Champion is seen by many in golf media as the great American hope for women's golf.... and some are even suggesting she may singlehandedly save the LPGA. However, most of the folks I've been speaking to at the driving range and on the golf course this week, have no idea who Alexis Thompson is.  Granted, these people have mainly been men... recreational golfers who probably don't know Ricky Fowler from Dustin Johnson, either.

In any case, the ascension of Alexis is an engaging story, that presents us with a compelling young player, almost certainly destined for LPGA stardom, and that's what inspired me to create this "Getting to Know Alexis Thompson" infographic.  Consider it a visual representation of random info on Alexis.

Since her historical win at the Navistar Classic on Sunday there's been a bit of controversy about the exact path Lexi will take to full status on the LPGA Tour... you see, no one's ever won an event before attaining the LPGAs minimum age.

For the moment however, the Tour is busy over in Ireland with the 2011 Solheim Cup so a final decision has not been made, but whatever the outcome is, it's a pretty sure bet that we'll be seeing lots of Lexi in the months and years to come.

Presidents Cup - Top 10 Spots Set, Ryo Fans Rejoice

The automatics are in, with ten of the 12 spots on both the international and US teams set... and here they are.  It's now up to the captains to make their two picks.  In fact, US captain Fred Couples has already confirmed that one of his two will be Tiger Woods, leaving room for just one more US player... and it seems that pick is still very much up in the air.  "We still have another week, but that could easily change anyone's mind," Couples said. "I want these guys to know that the Tour Championship is still deciding my second pick."

On the International side, Greg Norman is also studying his options. With the event taking place in Australia, The Shark has the added pressure of on-site fan support weighing on him, but appears to be keeping it in perspective.  "I'm picking the player, not the flag," Norman said. "How they have played in the last 90 to 100 days is important to me. I'll be looking at their scores and the consistency of how they play."

Meanwhile, fans of Ryo Ishikawa were happy to see him get in after recent struggles put him on the bubble.  A captain's pick in 2009, Ryo is the youngest player ever to compete in the Presidents Cup and his debut at Harding Park impressed many.

The 2011 Presidents Cup will take place at Royal Melbourne Golf Club from November 4-11.

Ryo Ishikawa: Of Milestone Birthdays and Growing Pains

お誕生日おめでとうございます 石川 遼

Ryo Ishikawa, the Japanese teen we've been watching for almost five years is turning twenty.

When he first caught our attention almost five years ago. It was the summer of 2007 and "The Bashful Prince" was a newly minted fifteen-year-old pop culture icon,  having recently become the youngest winner ever of a men's tournament on the Japan Tour.

With a whimsical nickname and a disarming smile, he soon made his way to the international stage, turning professional in 2008,  and by the end of that year becoming the youngest player ever to reach the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings.  US golf fans discovered the young phenom in 2009 when he played in PGA Tour tournaments for the first time.

A series of impressive achievements followed as Ryo made his way to the top of the global "Promising Young Guns" shortlist.  It sometimes seemed like nothing could go wrong this precocious trajectory to the top... but... it was sort of inevitable there'd be some growing pains somewhere along the way.

Consistent and Creative: Yani Tseng's Winning Style

Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images North America

Yesterday's playoff victory at Pinnacle Rock was just one more sign: Yani Tseng's LPGA dominance is incontrovertible, unambiguous and actual.

Ten career victories, five majors by age 22, money milestones, POY honors and quantifiable uber-consistency... these are some of the highly visible results of Yani's stellar game.

But lets get really superficial and shallow for a minute and talk about the girl's look.

As much as Yani Tseng's distinctive personal style, may not appeal to a Bleacher Report Swagger kind of guy... or to those who swear by FoxSports Incomplete Coverage ... there are lots of us who do appreciate her special fashion sense.

Simplicity, it would seem, is at the base of Yani's sartorial strategy:

•  A fitted cap (Adams Golf) and half jacket shades (Oakley)
•  Classic tops in bright colors and close fitting bermuda shorts with a destinctive belt (Lacoste)
•  Simple solid-colored shoes (Footjoy) 

That's pretty much it... the Yani Tseng style playbook.  Like her game, Yani's on-course look is consistent... yet it's also very creative because, as she demonstrates week after week, consistency and creativity are not mutually exclusive.

The last really dominant LPGA player was Lorena Ochoa who, like Yanni, is 5'6".  The two champions also have Lacoste in common, so it's not surprising to note a few stylistic similarities between them,  but it's the details that make the difference, and personality adds that extra something that creates a personal style.  Like Lorena Ochoa before her, Yani Tseng has a winning one.

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Arab Golf Championships Take Mideastern Golfers to Morocco

During the upcoming week male and female golfers from fifteen countries will take to the fairways at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, in Rabat, capitol of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The 31st Arab Golf Championships begins on September 14th and golfers from Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Bahrain, Syria... and Morroco... will compete at the Robert Trent Jones designed golf venue  in Men's, Women's and Junior categories.

The Arab Spring brought a wave of protests and demonstrations to cities and towns across the Middle East and North Africa.. and unrest continues in many places.  There's a new sense of pride and empowerment in many parts of the region... but also a sense that the upheaval will continue for some time to come.  Some sporting events in the Middle East have even been canceled, so it's testament to the dedication of athletes, organizers and sponsors that this... and other golf events... are taking place as scheduled.

Bunker Basics - The Golf Girl Sand Save Money Shot

Before I started playing golf my exposure to different types of courses was limited to the occasional televised snippet I'd catch by chance. Green and flowery or wet and wind-swept, as a disinterested non-golfer, the nuances were basically lost on me... a golf course was simply a golf course.

They all had bunkers though, and from Augusta National's pristine pools of pure white quartz to the deep, straight-faced pot bunkers of many Open Championship venues, I naively saw them as over-sized sandboxes where you might even find a child's pail and shovel, or a plastic starfish.

Then I started playing the game... and I quickly developed an major aversion to any kind of sand on a golf course.  I soon began to see bunkers as hazards to be avoided, and with my limited skills there was no way I could consciously avoid anything.  So I struggled to understand the dynamics of a sand shot. I listened to the advice of instructors and took tips from random strangers who seemed to get up and down with ease.  Everyone told me it was simple, but it wasn't.  Not for me. I tried it all and no nothing worked,  Until I started doing what some of my friends did: deftly picking up the ball and gently tossing it out of the hazard.  You see, being a purely social golfer I had that option.